Poet Nikki Giovanni to speak at Dillard's commencement

Nikki Giovanni, a poet, professor and longtime civil rights activist, will be the principal speaker at Dillard University's May 8 commencement, which will start at 8 a.m. on the Gentilly campus.

Nikki Giovanni

A professor at Virginia Tech, Giovanni has won an American Book Award and received about two dozen honorary degrees, including one last year from Dillard.

During that campus visit, a section of the Will W. Alexander library was named for her. Giovanni's connection to the library began when she shipped her collection of books to Dillard after Hurricane Katrina swamped the campus.